A Teacher's Ruminations

O.K., so maybe I was crazy to think that I would be able to publish a blog post every day of the NCTE conference starting Thursday.  Although I did publish something quick on Thursday I wrote nothing yesterday.  Not only is the wifi connection unpredictable in the convention center, but yesterday I left my hotel room at 7:30 am and didn't return till after 9:30 pm.  Thinking I could get some work done, I took a hot shower and got into bed with my computer.  By 10:00 I was fast asleep. Today was a similarly busy day except that I was able to take a break for a couple of hours. I haven't taken too many notes at the sessions I've attended but I have a lot of ideas percolating in my brain.  Since I have a long plane ride back to Quito I will be sorting out some of these ideas to figure out how they connect to my particular situation.  The sessions I attended have allowed me to make connections, ask questions, and reflect on the teaching and learning process...

Natalie Merchant's new book, hot off the press, with music CD included  Those of us present at Thursday night's opening session at NCTE were entertained by singer-composer,  Natalie Merchant .  It was a spellbinding performance, reminiscent of the bluesy, folksy voice of  Janis Ian . Merchant has taken the poetry of British and American poets of the 19th and 20th centuries and has put it to music.  Not only that, she has done research into the lives of these poets and she has some interesting stories to tell. The session with Merchant reminded me that writing is more than the words on the page.  Writing can take on a new significance when you know a bit about the writer and the time she or he lived in.  She has accomplished what she set out to do:  make poetry more accesible and enjoyable for children.

Yesterday I arrived in Las Vegas for the NCTE annual convention after a quick flight to Panama from Quito, Ecuador and a much longer one to Las Vegas.  A total of 12 hours of travel time.  Oh, and my suitcase didn't arrive with me.  To my surprise, I remained relatively calm about my missing luggage given the fact that I was super exhausted and had been looking forward to a few hours of shopping before going to bed.  The extra waiting at the airport, the longer than expected flight from Panama, and the time change did me in.  Nevertheless, I remained calm and a hot shower was enough to soothe any potentially simmering feelings.  The conference doesn't officially start until Thursday but I flew in early so that I can fulfill my responsibilities as a member of the Executive Committee, representing the Elementary Section Steering Committee in my role as Assistant Chair.  I'm not a gambler! My goal is to blog every day about the conference, starting...